Artificial ceiling and suspension means therefor



ARTIFICIAL CEILING AND SUSPENSION MEANS THEREFOR Filed May 2, 1960 I MAX M. THOMSEN WENDEL .BAGLEY V EN TORS BY C g ATTORN Y rte nice

. 3,014,564 ARTIFICIAL CEILHNG ANB SUSPENEHON MEANS THEREFUR Max M. Thomson, Monndsviile, and Wendell M. Bagley,

Wheeling, W. Van, assignors to Sylvania Electric Products Inc, a corporation of Delaware .Filed May 2, 19%, Ser. No. 25971 2 Claims. (Cl. Bil-88) This invention relates to artificial ceilings and more particularly to suspension means therefor.

In the field of indoor area illumination, great strides have been made in recent years in the development of lighting systems of high aesthetic qualities. For many years not much attention was given to the aesthetic factor. Light sources were housed in suitable fixtures, the design of which was dictated primarily by functional considerations. These fixtures were spaced from one another and attached to and depending from the ceiling of the room to be lighted. Not only were uniform light levels'in working areas very difiicult to obtain but these fixtures constituted one of several types of functional equipment which utilized the ceiling as a base or supporting member, such as sprinkler pipes and air ducts for example. Thus the ceilings of these areas were rendered extremely unsightly by this variety of functional equipment.

In more recent years the luminous ceiling concept has effected a marked aesthetic improvement over the arrangements just described. In accordance with the principles of the luminous ceiling concept, an artificial, lighttransmitting ceiling is supported from the structural ceiling and spaced therefrom a distance sufiicient to provide a functional chamber therebetween. Functional equipment, supported from the structural ceiling and heretofore exposed to view, is now hidden from view, thus effecting a marked improvement in the general appearance of the area. Light sources and their associated supporting and operating equipment are concealed by this luminous ceiling.

Many of these luminous ceilings are characterized by a framework, supported from the structural ceiling and/ or the lighting fixtures, and on which the body of the luminuous ceiling is in turn supported. The body of the luminous ceiling usually comprises a plurality of light-diffusing panels resting on the supporting framework. A very time-consuming, critical operation involved in the installation of this type of structure is leveling of this supporting framework. One of the disadvantages of this type of installation is the appearance of the divisional borderlines which characterize the supporting framework. in some cases, efforts have been made to overcome this by utilizing some sort of aesthetic and/or functional treatment to conceal the divisional borderlines of the supporting framework.

In View of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide a luminous ceiling which does not require a supporting framework of the type just described.

Another object of this invention is to provide a luminous ceiling which is simple in construction, easy to install and can be readily adjusted.

These and other objects, advantages and features are attained in accordance with the principles of this invention by utilizing as the luminous ceiling a plurality of substantially rectangular panels having clipped corners. The adjacent corners of each group of four abutting panels define a substantially rectangular opening within which a ceiling supporting member may be disposed.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, FIGURE 1 is a perspective view from below of a ceiling system embodying the principles of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary plan view from below, on an enlarged scale, showing the ceiling supporting means and its associated panels.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary detail in elevation showing the ceiling supporting means and its associated panels.

FIGURE 4 is a detail in perspective of the ceiling supporting means.

Referring now to the drawing, particularly FIGURE 1 thereof, the luminous ceiling comprises a plurality of panels 1, 2, 3 and 4, the corners of which are clipped as at 5. It will be noted that at the junction of these four panels, the contiguous clipped corners are formed by walls which define a substantially square opening 6 (the panel supporting means has been omitted here for purposes of clarity in illustrating this opening). The panelsupporting means, illustrated particularly in FIGURES 3 and 4, comprises an elongated rod 7 and a dog 8. The dog 8, preferably an integral fabricated piece, comprises a substantially square base member 9 through which the rod 7 extends and four flexibly adjustable fingers it 11, 12 and 13 depending angularly outwardly one from each side of the said base member. Each of the fingers is bent back on itself to define a lip 10a, 11a, 12a and 13a respectively. The space between each lip and its corresponding finger, defines a pocket, such as pocket 10b and pocket 12b in FIGURE 3 for example, each of which receives a clipped corner 5 of a panel which extends substantially perpendicularly to the base of the dog and is tightly engaged by two sides of the fingers so as to firmly and adjustably position the panels, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

It will be noted that in the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the rod 7 is threaded at both ends. The upper end is threaded and enters a suitable stationary support such as structural ceiling 14 as shown in FIGURE 1. The lower end is also threaded, as shown in FIGURE 3, for example, to receive a nut 15. The lower end of the rod 7, immediately above the threaded portion is provided with protuberances 16 which contain the dog 8 between the nut 15 and the protuberances 16. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that, without departing from the spirit of this invention, the lower end of the rod 7 may be provided with a screw head instead of the threadnut arrangement.

In assembling one of these ceiling systems, a plurality of rods 7 are first disposed in spaced relationship attached to and depending from the structural ceiling or other suit able supporting structure. Each panel 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., is then introduced into the space defined by four depending rods 7, each panel being canted sufficiently to permit its ready introduction from below into the space it is to occupy. Each panel is first elevated to a height above the free ends of the depending rods 7 and is then tilted back to a substantially horizontal plane and lowered into position. In lowering each panel, the clipped corners 5 thereof are guided into the pockets ltlb, 1112, etc., defined by the lips 10a, 11a, etc., and their respective fingers 10, 11, etc.

After the several panels 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., have been seated on the dogs 8 in the manner just described, leveling of the several panels may be effected quite readily withoutdisturbing the seating of the panels. This is accomplished by manipulation of nut 15 on the end of rod 7. As may be noted in FIGURES 2 and 3, the nut 15 is readily accessible within the space defined by the several depending fingers of the dog. A socket wrench is a convenient tool to effect this adjustment. if. on the other hand, this end of the rod 7 is provided with a screw head (an alternative suggested above), a screw driver would be employed to effect the leveling adjustment.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent to those 3 a skilled in the art that the ceiling system of this invention insures a firm, positive seating of the several ceiling panels without the need for a cumbersome panel-supporting framework, and at the same time it provides a recessed adjusting means which is readily accessible Without the need for disturbing the panels to effect its manipulation.

What We claim is:

1. An artificial ceiling comprising: a plurality of abutting panels having clipped corners comprising corner walls which define an opening therebetween; and a hanger assembly for supporting said panel at the corners thereof, said hanger assembly comprising a dog disposed within said opening defined by said clipped corners of said abutting panels, an elongated rod, and adjustable means for supporting said dog on said rod, said dog having a base member with an aperture therein through which said rod extends and a plurality of flexible angularly outwardly depending substantially U-shaped fingers Within which said clipped corner Walls are tightly engaged for firmly positioning said panels, and said adjustable means for supporting said dog on said rod being recessed within the space defined by said depending fingers.

2. An artificial ceiling comprising: a plurality of substantially square abutting panels, each of said panels having clipped corners, the adjacent clipped corners of said panels defining a substantially square opening therebetween; and a hanger assembly for supporting said panels at the said corners thereof, said hanger assembly comprising a dog disposed within said opening defined by said clipped corners, an elongated rod, and adjustable means for supporting said dog on said rod, said dog having a substantially square base member with a central aperture therein through which said rod extends and a flexibly adjustable substantially U-shaped finger depending angularly outwardly from each of the perimetrical edges of said substantially square base member, the side of each of said clipped corners being substantially perpendicular to said dog base and lying Within one of said U-shaped fingers in engagement therewith for firmly and adjustably positioning said panels, and said adjustable means for supporting said dog on said rod being recessed within the space defined by said depending fingers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,707,533 Nagin Apr. 2, 1929 2,725,126 Ely Nov. 29, 1955 2,725,127 Barrett et al. Nov. 29, 1955 

